Lesson 4.2 Glossary

Barrow

A male pig castrated before sexual maturity.

Bitch

A female dog, fox, wolf, or other canine.

Boar

A male pig that has not been castrated.

Bovine

An animal of the family Bovidae ; a cow, bull, steer, calf or ox.

Buck

A male sheep, rabbit, deer or antelope.

Bull

An uncastrated male bovine.

Calf

The young of certain large mammals including bovine animals.

Capon

A cockerel castrated to fatten it for the market.

Caprine

Of or pertaining to goats.

Canine

A member of the dog family; includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals, etc.

Castrate

To remove the testicles or destroy their use.

Chick

A young chicken.

Classification

The forming, sorting, apportioning, grouping, or dividing of objects into classes to form an ordered arrangement of items having a defined range of characteristics.

Cockerel

A male chicken less than one year old.

Colt

A young male horse, ass, or mule under four years of age.

Cow

The mature, female bovine.

Dichotomous key

A key for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between alternative characters.

Doe

A female goat, rabbit, or deer.

Equine

Pertaining to, or resembling, a horse or other member of the family Equidae.

Ewe

A female sheep of any age.

Feline

Belonging or pertaining to the cat family, Felidae.

Filly

A young immature female horse.

Foal

The unweaned young of the horse or mule.

Gelding

A castrated male horse.

Gib

A castrated cat.

Gilt

A name for a young female pig until it produces its first offspring, when it becomes a sow.

Heifer

The young female of the cattle species, usually applies to the female that has not yet had a calf.

Hen

A female fowl; specifically, the female domestic fowl valued for its egg production.

Kid

A young goat.

Kitten

A young cat.

Lamb

The young of sheep; specifically, a young ovine that has not yet acquired the front pair of permanent incisor teeth.

Mare

A mature female horse.

Ovine

An animal of the subfamily Ovidae; sheep.

Porcine

Refers to swine.

Poultry

Any or all domesticated fowls that are raised primarily for their meat, eggs, or feathers, as chickens,turkeys, ducks, and geese.

Pullet

An immature female chicken.

Pup

A young dog; puppy.

Queen

Female cat.

Ram

A male sheep, which has not been castrated, usually used for breeding.

Sow

A female swine, usually one that shows evidence of having produced pigs or one that is obviously pregnant.

Stallion

A male horse used for breeding purposes.

Steer

A male bovine castrated before reaching puberty.

Taxonomy

The science of classification of organisms and other objects and their arrangement into systematic groups such as species, genus, family, and order.

Tom

The male of certain animals, such as the tomcat.

Wether

A male sheep or goat castrated before it reaches maturity or develops male characteristics.